Samsung Bada UI unveiled in beautiful stills, reason for existing still blurry

We hate to harsh on a new phone platform -- what could be more exciting, after all, than a whole new take on handset software? -- but we're pretty confused by Samsung's Bada. Still, these leaked screenshots fill us with some hope: it looks fairly pretty, and quite a bit more intuitive than the standard Samsung UI. It also seems to be an odd visual mashup of Android and Symbian, but in a good sort of way, and we look forward to the sort of democratization of touchphones it seems to represent. There, that wasn't very harsh-ey at all! Now check out the developer-oriented video after the break to let a new wave of confusion wash over you.

[Benaus Posted Dec 17th 2009 7:10PM]

i just think this whole thing is pointless. yet ANOTHER mobile operating system?

[Abdel Posted Dec 17th 2009 8:27PM]

@(Unverified) Maybe they Knew Google is releasing their google phone which is gonna cannibalize other Android handsets. They are even beaten by HTC in the android market because HTC did some innovation with Sense. Wouldn't it better to replace the Instincts crappy OS with the BADAs OS

[Flix C Posted Dec 17th 2009 8:37PM]

@(Unverified)
Competition is nice/

[ale Posted Dec 17th 2009 8:53PM]

@Flix C
Competition IS nice. But when companies overextend themselves to new OS's rather than embracing widely used ones, it tales away from the unification of OS's. It' a weird balance scale.

Yes we want lots of companies and mobile operating systems but we want cross platform/hardware services and OS's that extend as far as possible... that's why Windows is so powerful. At the same time, I prefer Mac so go figure, maybe you're right.

If there were 20 different computer OS's though, imagine how crazy that would be!

[tonicboy Posted Dec 17th 2009 8:57PM]

@Flix C
Competition isn't always nice. Competition sometimes slows down innovation and increases costs. Just look at BluRay/HD-DVD.

[Pookiewood Posted Dec 17th 2009 10:42PM]

@(Unverified) Not Everyone likes Android or the iPhone. Samsung has every right to make another OS.

[an0nymous Posted Dec 17th 2009 10:48PM]

@(Unverified)
is this even an OS or just a revamped version of the crapWIZ UI?

[Average White Boy Posted Dec 18th 2009 12:41AM]

@(Unverified)

Ooooh, another OS. It's just what everyone is asking for. I'm sure this one is a lot better than the rest of the bunch. If you swipe your fingers just right, you can almost see into the future. Social integration... that's never been done before. Bring it on.

[Endadget Posted Dec 18th 2009 4:49AM]

@(Unverified)
You say yet another like there's so many of them...

Right now we only have -realistically speaking- one promising OS out that works on various phones - Android. (WM and Symbian need to get it together.) Maemo is still about as widespread as Bada right now.
OS's that work on one hardware only (iPhone, Palm..) are not that relevant here, because if you don't like the specific hardware (or the company policy) you won't consider them. Therefore the iPhone and the Pre etc. OS's have a limited number of potential users (which is still relatively high, but limited).

So if you don't like going with Android it's either Maemo (which frankly I don't even know if it's meant for 'regular' phones) or you come up with something new. Samsung is big enough to easily compete if they come up with a good OS. They have good hardware, the phones are well built for the price, they have the best cameras on the phones. The only thing they were lacking is good software. Bada could be the solution.

[jaxie Posted Dec 18th 2009 7:08AM]

@ale
http://www.operating-system.org/betriebssystem/_english/os-liste.htm

[(Unverified) Posted Dec 18th 2009 9:47AM]

@an0nymous
You are EXACTLY right...this is their featurephone OS with a few added things...it was always linux based, they just created an SDK, added a few more apps. This is garbage and I really hope none of you engadget readers buy one of these devices and support this bullshit from Samsung.

[Pookiewood Posted Dec 18th 2009 10:07AM]

@(Unverified) And you'd know because you've used it before.....

[iHakr Posted Dec 17th 2009 7:11PM]

It looks like they are trying too hard to be "cool". Just give us stock android!

[Amnak Posted Dec 17th 2009 7:20PM]

@iHakr I don't know I like this over stock android it looks nicer.

[Roberini Posted Dec 17th 2009 7:15PM]

Isn't that from "The Sopranos?" "Bada-Bing." Samsung has "Bada" and Microsoft has "Bing." Coincidence?

[andthemaniam Posted Dec 17th 2009 7:24PM]

@Roberini "Bada" is "ocean" in Korean. I think Samsung is located in Seoul?

[JeremyBenthem Posted Dec 17th 2009 11:36PM]

@andthemaniam
cause a mobile OS is clearly synonymous with ocean

[Dafrety Posted Dec 17th 2009 7:19PM]

I'd rather have Android then yet another mobile OS. We've got enough as it is.

[tonicboy Posted Dec 17th 2009 9:00PM]

@Dafrety
You just contradicted yourself. You want Android, then another OS?

[Pookiewood Posted Dec 17th 2009 10:27PM]

@Dafrety I don't want Android anything. I so full steam ahead Samsung. Samsung makes great products and I'd get this. It looks good IMO. I can't believe the hate it's getting. Imagine if this was a Windows only world or a Mac only world.

[abugida Posted Dec 18th 2009 5:27PM]

@Dafrety
It's game over for Android. All the big players are moving elsewhere.

[Ripper Posted Dec 19th 2009 5:22AM]

@Dafrety And who chose you to speak for all?

[wako Posted Dec 17th 2009 7:21PM]

Wow, they are finally going open their OS on their phones? Maybe their phones by actually be worth looking at now.

[JeremyBenthem Posted Dec 17th 2009 7:41PM]

@wako
that's what it is I think. It's not like they are trying to come out with another OS, rather they make all these crappy closed-sourced wannabe smartphones anyway, they probably figured why not unify it with an actual OS. though I do agree with the others also, that they should have just stuck to Android and made Bada their "Sense UI" of sorts

[Patlex Posted Dec 17th 2009 9:24PM]

Except last I check Samsung has released their SDK to touchwiz so anyone can make a widget and put it on their widget market place that is available for WM, Nucleos, and Symbian. Which, bring to the point Nucleos is fairly open last I checked as users can install a few third-party browsers and I think Opera has plans to bring a port of Opera Mobile to Nucleos OS. The Samsung Jet is a perfect example of a good Nucleos phone.

[sirphunkee Posted Dec 17th 2009 11:44PM]

@Patlex

wow, you sure do a lot of checking

[IcerC Posted Dec 17th 2009 7:23PM]

This will be what dumb phones are now. This blows the current phones out of the water. They will still have android (unless this gets popular, which they would love) along side.

[Bowsa Posted Dec 17th 2009 7:26PM]

Samsung BADAss! that is

[TRLKOR Posted Dec 17th 2009 7:26PM]

This is the first time I'm seeing it and yet somehow, it looks familiar

Borrowed elements from everyone I guess

I see Mobile OSX, Android and webOS....

[Amnak Posted Dec 17th 2009 7:42PM]

@(Unverified) ya i see mobileOSX in the music player

[SoCoolCurt Posted Dec 18th 2009 12:39AM]

@(Unverified)

i was thinking the same. the first thing i thought when i saw the pictures were, "this looks like an Android, Symbian, webOS, Mobile OSX mashup". they definitely have some pretty recognizable influences. not really a bad thing i guess but if it takes off, i'm sure these other companies will cry foul.

[McKirdy Posted Dec 17th 2009 7:28PM]

SNS? Awesome! I love Steak n' Shake!

[MrAffrox Posted Dec 17th 2009 7:30PM]

The title should say the reason for being blurry is non-existent. Aren't these just screencaps?

[Wesley Posted Dec 17th 2009 7:30PM]

Looks very good and what useful tools for software development. Kinda makes a mockery of what the mighty Microsoft have been attempting for the last few years to make Windows Mobile 7 and coming up with nothing but delays.

[Yatesey Posted Dec 17th 2009 7:31PM]

Maybe they can stop focusing on this that isn't needed and give me a decent update for my Omnia HD. I need clear sound recording please Samsung!

[bjsguess Posted Dec 17th 2009 7:32PM]

Great idea posters. Let's limit competition. We have Apple and Android. That's all we need ...

Me - I would rather have more competition. Competition breeds innovation. While I am happy with WinMo and Android I welcome additional players into the space.

[greenxxmachine Posted Dec 17th 2009 7:50PM]

@bjsguess exactly what you said! The more, the merrier, in my opinion. If a company wants to put out their own OS, we'll then let's see how good it is and maybe it'll get my purchase.

[Pookiewood Posted Dec 17th 2009 10:36PM]

@bjsguess I agree big time. Note EVERYONE is on bended knees for Google and Apple. Let Samsung get a pass here. They are a great innovative company and I know they can make this a great product. Imagine if Verizon locked down their Smartphones with the ugly Verizon interface like they do their standard handsets. That would be boring. Imagine if we only had Windows and no Linux or OSX. Competition is GOOD. Say what you want posters. I don't want Google owning the whole market.

[Eraser Posted Dec 17th 2009 7:37PM]

it's colorful to say the least.

borderline seizure inducing.

[JeremyBenthem Posted Dec 17th 2009 7:39PM]

in before the stupid Bing jokes

[chaoscentral Posted Dec 17th 2009 10:38PM]

@JeremyBenthem

you were already late by almost a half hour on those jokes lol just look up

[JeremyBenthem Posted Dec 17th 2009 11:33PM]

@chaoscentral
I hate how people here think they are so clever with their jokes, it's not even that funny

[TheCodexAlera Posted Dec 17th 2009 7:54PM]

This seems pointless....

Just pick a couple of OSs and stick with them (personally if I were them I'd choose Android and webOS)...

I just think this is a bad idea...

[(Unverified) Posted Dec 17th 2009 8:04PM]

Wow, they just directly took Nokia's S60 font. Way to go.

[Pookiewood Posted Dec 18th 2009 10:10AM]

@(Unverified) I didn't know nokia OWNED a font.

[kLid Posted Dec 17th 2009 8:05PM]

Thank you so much for forgetting the S60 5th edition... I love Samsung for making me spend a heck load on the omniaHD and then being told "woops we're not gonna support that device"...

>_>

So I'm definitely not keeping my hopes high for this OS...

[TechCrunch Posted Dec 17th 2009 8:10PM]

So basically they took screenshots of Android, iPhone, Nokia and then took pieces from each of them? That said, its gotta beat the current shite they're putting on dumbphones.

[JakeInDC Posted Dec 17th 2009 8:21PM]

I guarantee it's going to be a POS.

Samsung makes average cell phones and HORRIBLE cell phone software.

[eka Posted Dec 17th 2009 8:26PM]

looks much better than Android UI. Well without HTC's Sense , everything else are nicer than that ugly android UI.

[dmgabe Posted Dec 17th 2009 10:19PM]

@eka

Yeah, but the possibilities of customization are what makes android great. Don't like the way your android UI looks, then change it. I also have to say that while competition is usually good, in instances like this, it actually hurts the consumer. A highly fractured market sees fewer developers, as well as fewer supported accessories for each segment. Give us 3 or 4 major players to drive innovation, and let the rest fade away.